An article transfer and storage system of this sort is described in Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Application No. 62-124906. This article transfer and storage system, as indicated generally at A in FIGS. 25 and 26, is provided with a stock handler 22 which is movable both in the vertical direction (upward and downward of the drawing) and in the horizontal direction (vertical to the face of the drawing) along the front side (the left side in the drawing) of a stationary stocker 21, which is provided with a plural number of shelves 20 for storing articles W and positioned in a direction vertical to the face of the drawing, for transferring articles between an unmanned carrier 23 and the stationary stocker 21 in the transverse directions in the drawing. Indicated at 24 are rails for guiding the vertical movements of the stock handler 22.
Such a transfer and storage system, however, has a problem in that a traveling mechanism 25 for the stock handler 22 is located under the handler 22 and is positioned between the stationary stocker 21 and the unmanned carrier 23, necessitating a broad space H between the stationary stocker 21 and unmanned carrier 23 and therefore requiring a large floor space for installation of the system as a whole. This is obviously disadvantageous especially in case of a clean room accommodating semiconductor production equipment where the floor space per unit area is very costly and is desired to be as small as possible.
The stock handler 22 further includes a motor unit 27 mounted on a base plate 26 which is movable transversely and at the same time liftable up and down along the front side of the stationary stocker 21, a linear guide rail 28 movable on the motor unit 27 toward and away from the stationary stocker 21, and a work support 29 movable on the linear guide rail 28.
The transfer of articles W between the stationary stocker 21 and the unmanned carrier 23 is effected by placing an article or work W on the work support 29 and moving the motor unit 27, linear guide rail 28 and work support 29 additively on the base plate (FIG. 26) or by summing the displacements of these three members. However, the handler 22 of such arrangement has a problem in that the motor unit 27, linear guide rail 28 and work support 29 make dust as they are moved additively on the base plate 26.